1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method, system and program product for detecting intrusion of a wireless network. More specifically, the present invention detects intrusion of a wireless network by comparing a data stream received by a wireless network to a valid data stream and a known intrusion data stream.
2. Background Art
Wireless computer networks are playing an increasing role in business and in personal lives. Specifically, as more businesses and individuals implement computer networks, the need to provide less complex configurations becomes more pervasive. Wireless networks are especially advantageous in eliminating the physical constraints (e.g., wiring, etc.) of traditional networking. With wireless networks, the mobility of the network users is greatly increased. Such mobility can be important in increasing user efficiency and is often desired by industry (e.g., health care, retail, etc.) as well as individuals. For example, if a hospital worker is electronically maintaining patients' vitals on a laptop computer, and he/she needs to move freely between patient rooms, a wireless network would allow the worker to do so with ease. In contrast, if the laptop's network connection was hardwired (e.g., via Ethernet), the user must disengage the existing connection and make a new connection in the alternate location. However, making a new connection is not always easy because the user is limited to locations in which a data port exists for making a connection.
Unfortunately, as the use of wireless networks has become more pervasive, so have attacks. Specifically, hackers are increasingly intruding the wireless networks and causing great amounts of damage. One type of intrusion is known as “war driving,” which is when a hacker detects the presence of and accesses a wireless network from an unprotected area such as a street or a parking lot. Typically, a war driving hacker will drive around with a laptop or the like until a wireless network is identified. Once identified, the hacker can potentially gain access to an internal, less well-protected network.
Heretofore, no systems exist for effectively detecting intrusion of a wireless network. Specifically, because the growth in popularity of wireless networks is a relatively recent phenomena, and the manner in which wireless connections are formed are different from those for traditional “wire” networks, intrusion detection technology has been lacking.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method, system and program product for detecting intrusion of a wireless network. Specifically a need exists for an incoming data stream to be compared to a valid data stream and a known intrusion stream to determine any deviations. Still yet, a need exists for an intrusion alert to be generated when intrusion is detected.